Tongdao Think Tank 2024-02-17 09:01 Beijing.
The U.S. Space Development Agency (NASDA) and the Missile Defense Agency (DMD) on Wednesday launched two sets of satellites designed to demonstrate capabilities that can be used to detect and track adversary hypersonic and other advanced threats, according to Defensescoop on Feb. 14.
One of the systems, which includes four L3Harris builds, will complete Phase 0 of the SDA Proliferation Operations Space Architecture (PWSA), which will include a total of eight missile-tracking space vehicles and 19 in-orbit data transmission satellites.
In addition, two hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor (HBTSS) platforms – one built by L3Harris and the other by Northrop Grumman for the Missile Defense Agency – have also been lifted into the air.
On Wednesday night, SpaceX posted on the social media platform X that the Falcon 9 rocket "launched the USSF-124 into orbit."
The Pentagon plans to test these technologies this year to test their capabilities in orbit.
The effort comes as the U.S. side is looking for new tools to counter hypersonic missiles that fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5 and have an unstoppable flight path.
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, "the maneuverability and low flight altitude of hypersonic ** may challenge existing detection and defense systems." For example, due to the line-of-sight limitations of radar detection, most ground-based radars do not detect hypersonics until later in flight. This allows the defender to fire *** for a very short period of time, which can cancel out the incoming ***.
New space-based sensors are seen as a solution to this problem. The SDA missile-tracking spacecraft will be equipped with a wide-field sensor payload and an optical communication terminal. The HBTSS system will provide narrower, but more responsive, midfield coverage.
According to the report, the wide field of view "is designed to provide the HBTSS with cue data, which can then provide more specific target mass data to the ground."
Space Development Agency's broad horizon — think of it as broad surveillance in the tracking layer," Lt. Gen. Jon Hill, then head of the U.S. Space Development Agency, said at a Pentagon budget briefing last year.
The role of HBTSS is to take cues from ground sensors or wide field of view to move to a smaller, medium field of view. Therefore, it can be considered as the best control quality data now. So, we've gone from extensive tracking to now we need to put on **, so you have to have higher sensitivity. That's what HBTSS does," he explained.
SDA Advanced** notes that the Tranche0 system is intended to act as a technology demonstrator, while subsequent sections will provide "operational" capabilities.
These two programs - [tranche]0 and hbtss - have inspired all the work we have done in tranche1 and tranche2. In tranche1, the HBTSS payload is part of the ,...... planEnabling the SDA to move forward and provide missile defense capabilities to support global interception and [operational command]," said a senior SDA officer.
SDA Advanced** said that in the upcoming demonstration, the Tranche0 and HBTSS systems will be in the same "near-equatorial" orbit.
Other branches of the US Department of Defense are expected to test their own missiles this year, when the detection and tracking capabilities of the satellite will be demonstrated.
It's just a matter of the launch window and our satellites being able to overlap these images. Therefore, we are actively working with all our partners to be able to schedule these demos. You'll see that here in the coming months," said a senior SDA**.
Flight tests of hypersonic missiles using full shells in the United States are infrequent. For example, the Air Force plans to conduct another ARRW prototype test this year.
I don't think there are many such assessments, and that's a fair assessment, right? But that's the intent of being able to work with both collaborative and non-cooperative targets to be able to do our presentations. Therefore, we work closely with all mission partners to plan these activities. So, you know, we have the insight to be able to plan accordingly," said one senior SDA**.
The SDA and HBTSS systems will not be optically connected on track for demonstration purposes. According to SDA Advanced**, the prompting will be done via a ground station. However, these types of capabilities are expected to be more integrated into future parts of the proliferation operations space architecture.
The launch of the Tranche-1 missile tracking satellite is scheduled for the spring of 2025, and the launch of the Tranche-2 platform is scheduled for the spring of 2027.
In 2022, L3Harris and Northrop Grumman were awarded contracts to build 14 systems for Phase 1. L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Sierra Space recently commissioned the construction and operation of 54 satellites for Phase 2.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program